Gay Travel

• Major Tourist Towns
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Gay Travel in Costa Rica

• Gay friendly? Gay tolerant? Is their really such a thing as GAY Costa Rica, and are the Ticos really THAT accepting of the gay traveler. The answer is "YES," but with a few caveats. First, the Tourism Board here understood a long time ago, that GAY people have plenty of cash to spend, and after all, 'Green' is 'Green' no matter who's spending it. Costa Rica doesn't CARE if you're GAY, but they damn sure don't want to see GAY. So, here's our take on traveling Costa Rica as a gay person or couple and what you may or may not be able to get away with. Check out our video on Gay Travel in Costa Rica .

Gay Nude Beach in Costa Rica

• Nude beaches in Costa Rica do not technically exist, ditto for clothing optional beaches since public nudity is against the law in Costa Rica. But one of the GREAT things about Costa Rica, just because there are LAWS, doesn’t mean they’re actually enforced. The TRUTH is there are a few places in Costa Rica where people tend to go topless, like Playa Grande about 30 minutes north of Montezuma, and of course one can’t mention NUDE BEACH without mentioning Manuel Antonio’s La Playita, where gay men 'HAD' been getting butt-ass naked for years… Check out our video on Gay Nude Beach in Costa Rica.

Gay Hotels in San Jose, Costa Rica

Casa Rainbow Canyon

• GAY San José, Costa Rica has a NEW ‘gay’ in town and it’s called Casa Rainbow Canyon- an Exclusively GAY, Men ONLY, Gay HOTEL or Gay B&B, whichever you prefer to call it. But officially, Casa Rainbow Canyon is a GAY Bed and Breakfast… but take my word, an upscale Gay B&B (in looks an amenities, not PRICE)… Check out our video on Casa Rainbow Canyon.

Colours Oasis Resort

• The Colours Oasis Resort is located a short cab ride away from the center of San José Costa Rica in the Rohrmoser neighborhood. Colours is not only a ‘gay’ resort, but interestingly enough, ‘straight’ people also love to STAY there… and you’ll understand why after this review. The Colours Oasis Resort began back in 1990 (imagine building a gay hotel 19 years ago in Costa Rica- the SHIT they must have took for that) by James Remes. He’s been adding, redecorating and reinventing Colours every 5 years or so to keep it FRESH and updated- and it’s definitely WORKING...Check out our video on Colours Oasis Resort.

Kekoldi Hotel

• Hotel Kekoldi, it has 10 rooms. Its going to depend on season… low and high. The low is around $51 plus tax and the high is $99 plus tax. But it all changes with low and high, with double occupancy, and triple occupancy. The rooms are big, they do have hot water, they don’t have air conditioning, but they do have fans, and a lock box. As far as the rooms… they are big rooms.. They are big rooms and they probably look big because they are empty rooms. There’s nothing on the walls, there’s no artwork… it’s just white walls. … Check out our video on Hotel Kekoldi.

Gay Hotel near La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Villa Decary

Villa Decary

Gay Hotel in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica

Banana Azul

• Hotel Banana Azul is located on Playa Negra just a few minutes north (by car) from Puerto Viejo. Banana Azul is just what the doctor ordered. Pretty much on the beach, jungle-y, lushed-out landscaping and the rooms have that COOL 'bungalow on the beach' vibe... and the bonus- the food is really good there. So, needless to say Banana Azul is the perfect place to veg-out and do whatever. The atmosphere is really CHILL at Banana Azul, so you may find yourself just hanging around, taking turns chillin on the beach or by the pool or at the bar or the balcony of your bungalow or laying in a hammock watching the coy swim buy....Check out our video on Banana Azul

Gay Hotel in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Gaia Hotel & Reserve

• Hey Everyone, we got a chance to stay a couple nights at the Gaia Hotel and Reserve in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Folks, this is a 5-Star, ADULT ONLY hotel and resort. So, does this 5-star hotel live up to its status? I got to say we were thinking Gaia may be a little pretentious, after all, studio's and villa's start at about $220 and go up to about $900. Don't get me wrong, we appreciate 500,000+ thread count and flat screen TV’s as much as anyone and they DO have a 12 acre Reserve with rare wildlife and lush vegetation on the property. But what about the pretentiousness? Would they be snooty?...Check out our video on Gaia Hotel and Reserve.

Big Ruby's, La Plantacion, The Falls Boutique Hotel

• Hey Guys... just an FYI- Not so long ago, Big Ruby's aka La Plantacion was a gay destination for many gay travelers to Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. And even now, when you google gay Manuel Antonio, gay hotels, gay whatever... Big Ruby's still comes up in the first couple pages.... we would just like you to know it's NO longer Big Ruby's or La Plantacion, or even a gay hotel anymore. It's called The Falls Boutique Hotel. The Falls is a nice place, but it is not gay... so we thought we let you know....Check out our video on The Falls Boutique Hotel.

Gay Bars/Clubs in Costa Rica

La Avispa

• La Avispa is a legendary Costa Rican gay nightclub. Gay or straight, this is the club for you. So long as you are stylish, this is a great place to visit. La Avispa is the oldest gay disco in Costa Rica and has been open for over 30 years. Great Latin music and ambiance will help you dance the night away. La Avispa is a lesbian-owned two story bar that features two dance floors, big screen TV, restaurant, and pool tables. La Avispa draws gay men, especially Tuesday and Sunday nights (large twink gathering on Sundays). La Avispa has ladies night twice a month catering to the lesbians and on those night no men are allowed in the place.....Check out our video on La Avispa.

Club Oh!

• Club Oh! is a mostly gay crowd. Their music tending towards electronic, U.S./U.K. dance club hits, techno-heavy disco with two dance floors and weekly drag shows. The weekends are packed with good looking guys as this is the place to see and be seen for the local gay Costa Ricans. Get there early or you'll wait on line for awhile. The neighborhood is sketchy so you'll definitely want to take a taxi to and from the bar. Open bar from 10:00 PM till 1:00 AM. Don't miss the Midnight shows. Cover with open bar in VIP lounge. Also Club Oh's! VIP area has its own DJ: $ 15 .....Check out our video on Club Oh!.

El Bochinche

• Bochinche's is still one of my favorite Costa Rican gay bars. On Thursday night, Bochinche's is a GREAT place to hang-OUT, chat, have a few cocktails... and CATCH a very GOOD drag show. AND you GRINGO's, you can HOOK-UP if you so desire. On this particular Thursday night, it was ALL that and MORE. *wink* Thursday does draw a little more of a mixed crowd than does Friday and Saturday night when it tends to be more of a party/club scene (a good thing). People come to Bochinche's on Thursday night to chat, mingle and catch the show....Check out our video on El Bochinche.

Restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica

• What's a trip to San Jose without eating at Cafe Mundo? Cafe Mundo mixes creative cuisine with a casual ambiance. Wood tables and Art Deco wrought-iron chairs are spread throughout several rooms in what was once a former colonial mansion. Cafe Mundo serves everything from vegetable tempura, crab cakes, and chicken satay as well as traditional Costa Rican flavor such as fried plantain chips and fried yuca. There's also pasta and pizza (which we had and it was wonderful) and other, more serious main courses. This places draws an eclectic crowd of San Jose's gay, bohemian, theatre, arts and university crowds.... Watch our video on Cafe Mundo

Gay Protest at Gran Hotel Costa Rica

• GAY Protest held outside the entrance of the Gran Hotel Costa Rica and next to the National Theater. It appears GRAND Hotel Costa Rica may want to consider providing its Security Staff with Sensitivity Training, or perhaps a Review of the current Costa Rican LAWS on the Books regarding the discrimination of Gays. Basically, two lesbians accuse the Security Staff of the Gran Hotel Costa Rica for harassing and discriminating against them for kissing outside the hotel in the square. The kicker, apparently it wasn't even a 'making-out' type of kissing. How boring is that? Well these lesbians weren't going to take it... Watch our video on Gay Protest at Gran Hotel Costa Rica

Gay Living vs. Gay Traveling in Costa Rica

• There is a BIG difference between traveling Costa Rica as a gay man or couple, than actually BEING a gay man or couple LIVING here. Our belief, and it’s well substantiated, is that Costa Rica takes Clinton’s, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy for military gays, one step further- culminating in, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and Don’t ACT’…… GAY in Costa Rica. Most Costa Ricans have the exact same attitudes toward gay folks as the majority of North Americans held back in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. Read that as- ‘IT’S A SIN.’ However, it should be noted; Ticos are some of the nicest people on the planet, and wouldn’t normally think about discriminating you to your face. Watch our video on Gay Living vs. Gay Traveling in Costa Rica

Gay Hotel in Granada, Nicaragua

Hotel Joluva

• Granada, Nicaragua is a great place to visit... we’ve been there quite a few times. We love it a lot… it’s a beautiful town and I’d highly recommend it for anyone traveling around Nicaragua or Costa Rica and has some extra time to go out there. It’s a beautiful colonial style city… It’s old?! One of the oldest… It’s one of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas. We like it because the people are nice, the arcutecture of the buildings, they even have the lake… Lake Nicaragua right there… Which they have some beautiful island you can tour around. They even have a great cemetery with nice headstones and tombs. When we go to Granada we always stay at Hotel Joluva... Watch our video on Hotel Joluva in Granada, Nicaragua